Ear tag question

[crabcreekhunter]

Anyone have any idea what a red ear tag means?  No contact info on the tag whatsoever besides the number, highly doubt it was drugged recently but maybe in the past? First time ever encountering one so just curious.

[O. Nerka]

Last year there were a few green ear tags in the Methow. I'm not sure if it was an observer efficiency study for the heli surveys or related to some of the predator prey studies being done there. You'd likely be able to reach out to your local wildlife bio and get some info.

[crabcreekhunter]

Thank you, I'll have to look up the local bio info and get a hold of him.  It was pretty ironic that the ear tag resembles my name "zane".

[Cougeyes]

What area of the state was this?  Wdfw typically puts a yellow do not consume tag in as well with contact info. Deer as part of research studies don’t need to be sedated as they can be net gunned or other capture methods not requiring sedation. No collar on it huh?

[crabcreekhunter]

Got some information today on the ear tag.  This doe was born in captivity at WSU (nutritional based reproductive study) to the doe "Natalie" but was never bottle fed with the intent of releasing her into the wild.  The fall after being born this doe was released in SE Wa and obviously did quite well and depending where she was released travel a ways into the northern parts of Gmu 381. 

[O. Nerka]

So you shot a hatchery deer? Thanks for explaining what was going on. I hadn't heard about that.

[Bango skank]

So you shot a hatchery deer? Thanks for explaining what was going on. I hadn't heard about that.

Pretty soon we will have to throw back the natives with the way things are going

[crabcreekhunter]

I guess it's kind of like that, the captive deer were used to study the effects on reproduction so reproduction is necessary and the young were released into the wild.  If not for the tag, would never had known the difference.  Hopefully these types of studies can help our struggling deer herds.

[Bango skank]

I guess it's kind of like that, the captive deer were used to study the effects on reproduction so reproduction is necessary and the young were released into the wild.  If not for the tag, would never had known the difference.  Hopefully these types of studies can help our struggling deer herds.

We cant help our herds without a drastic change to how our predators are managed.

[crabcreekhunter]

Of course that is a big problem of it too.

[Bango skank]

Anything we do at this point to boost the herds will just make more food for predators, which will boost the predator population...  we have to get that under control.  We got improvements to our bear management, and some lion changes should be coming, though without hounds i dont know how much of a help it can be.  What we really need now is a way to get hounds back for lions, body gripping traps back for coyotes, and we need the state to delist wolves.  Im not too sure any of that is even possible, but if it is it sure as hell wont come easy.  Its an uphill battle, the odds are severely stacked against us.  I dont see a bright future for our deer, elk or moose.  Hope everybody likes bear meat, cause thst may be the only decent chance a guy has to fill his freezer before too long.

[O. Nerka]

I guess it's kind of like that, the captive deer were used to study the effects on reproduction so reproduction is necessary and the young were released into the wild.  If not for the tag, would never had known the difference.  Hopefully these types of studies can help our struggling deer herds.

Yeah, I agree. Just had the thought of hatchery deer and got a laugh out of it. Thanks again.

[Bango skank]

I guess it's kind of like that, the captive deer were used to study the effects on reproduction so reproduction is necessary and the young were released into the wild.  If not for the tag, would never had known the difference.  Hopefully these types of studies can help our struggling deer herds.

Yeah, I agree. Just had the thought of hatchery deer and got a laugh out of it. Thanks again.

I thought that was pretty damn funny too

[crabcreekhunter]

I agree on the predator situation, I'm glad we got the two east side bear tags, dont see coyotes as a huge problem compared to other predators. We can control them to a certain extent where as cougar is all chance or luck calling.  Not to get too side tracked but I'd rather see the allowance of artificial lights for Cougars over hounds.  Wolves need to be regulated as well, we live in a predator hunters dream. 

[Bango skank]

I agree on the predator situation, I'm glad we got the two east side bear tags, dont see coyotes as a huge problem compared to other predators. We can control them to a certain extent where as cougar is all chance or luck calling.  Not to get too side tracked but I'd rather see the allowance of artificial lights for Cougars over hounds.  Wolves need to be regulated as well, we live in a predator hunters dream.

Coyotes hammer fawns.  Im no college educated biologist, but its a pretty undisputed theory that you need to kill 70-80% of a coyote popilation annually to reduce the population.  There is no way were doing that with calling.  Without extensive trapping we cant manage coyote populations.  Even with it, it would be marginal.  Figure coyotes easily survived the extensive trapping and poisoning efforts that nearly wiped out wolves and lions.  But yes, i would love to see night hunting lions made legal.  We need to bring back the "predator" classification, and stop considering them big game.

I dont want to give the wrong impresdion constantly thumping the predator control / lion problem drum.  So just to be clear, i dont hate lions and absolutely dont want them extirpated.  Im really fascinated by them, and ive spent a ton of time just tracking them in the winter when the season is closed, just out of curiosity about what theyre up to, to maybe learn something about them or get a glimpse of one.  If they were wiped out completely it would be a sad day, our woods wouldnt be the same.  But the fact is we have way too many of them, and its detrimental to our herds.  If i had to name one thing i felt was the most damaging to our deer right now, id have to say its the cats.  I really think there are a lot more of them than wdfw claims or most people would believe.

[crabcreekhunter]

Coyotes do without a doubt but it is our migratory herds which are hurting more than our scab land/wheat field herds.  Spent thousands of hours in the upper reaches of our migratory herds and very rarely see sign of yotes compared to cats from 4500 feet on up.  At those elevations, I view predation more as a bear/cat problem.

[Bango skank]

Yeah i would have to agree.  But in the lower elevation, open areas lacking in the big predators, i have a hard time believing the coyotes arent taking a toll.  And i can say some of the most coyote dense areas i know of in the northeast mountains are at 4000 - 5000 ft, in the heart of lion, bear, wolf country.  Theyre a big problem too, and without an effective means of trapping we can not manage them at all.  Im under no illusion that shooting a few coyotes a year is really doing any good long term.  Its more of a feel good, false sense of being proactive kind of thing.  It at least makes a guy feel like hes trying to help.  Doing what he can within the legal abilities he is given.

[Sutherland]

 

[Redmist]

So on a WSU Hatchery Deer do the WDFW regulations require you to tag it with a deer or cougar tag?  True fact: More cougars are killed when deer are pen raised at WSU.

[Skyvalhunter]